Goshen College mourns the death of gifted student in a Minnesota car crash

GOSHEN, Ind. — A Goshen College student traveling home at the conclusion of the school year has died in an automobile crash near St. Paul, Minn., the college reported Saturday.

Deanne Elizabeth Binde, 21, was a junior communication and theater major, from Lake Park, Minn. The daughter of Dale and Debbie Binde, Deanne was a gifted student who participated in three Goshen College Theater Department productions over the past year and many other campus and community activities.

Goshen College President James E. Brenneman said the campus community was mourning the tragic loss. Students, faculty and staff were informed of Deanne’s death in person, by telephone and by e-mail on Friday night.

“We pray for God’s sustaining comfort for Deanne’s family and friends during this period of loss. We have fond memories of Deanne’s time at the college. She brought joy to many people, particularly her energy and performances on the stage and behind the scenes,” Brenneman said.

The Minnesota State Patrol reported that near Woodbury, Minn., Deanne’s car drifted across Interstate Highway 94 about 10:25 p.m. Thursday, struck the center median and overturned. Two other cars then struck her car, in which she was driving alone. The other motorists escaped with either minor injuries or no injuries at all, the State Patrol said.

A graduate of Lake Park-Audubon High School, Deanne was active in a broad range of activities at Goshen College and in the community.

Last fall, she played the lead in the mainstage play “Step on a Crack,” the story of a young girl's adjustment to changes in her family. This spring she was in the cast of the mainstage play “Absolutely! {perhaps}.” And during the just-concluded May Term, she was the technical director assistant for the production of the musical “Quilters.”

In addition to her love of theater, she was a DJ for The Globe (91.1 FM), played on the women’s softball team, recycled with the Eco-PAX environmental club, and was a member of the Catholic Student Association. During the spring of her sophomore year, she participated in the college’s Study-Service Term program in the Dominican Republic. In the community she volunteered with Meals on Wheels and La Casa, and regularly attended St. John’s Catholic Church.

Doug Liechty Caskey, professor of theater and communication, said Deane had a positive spirit and a can-do attitude and cared deeply for others.

“She was a person who paid attention to a person’s interpersonal needs and privileged the other. I never felt she was a person who put herself first and that made her an extremely important person,” said Caskey, who was Deanne’s adviser and mentor.

Caskey said Deanne’s broad range of activities on and off campus were a testament to her diverse interests and perspective.

“She didn’t just make local contacts, but global contacts because she had friends throughout the world,” Caskey said. “I just can’t believe this. For me, her spirit is not going anywhere fast. It’s going to stay with a lot of people.”

Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students Bill Born is coordinating support efforts on campus, including contact with students, faculty and staff who knew and cared for Binde.

“We are deeply saddened to learn of Deanne’s death,” said Born. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to Deanne’s family and to her many friends on campus.”

— Written by Richard R. Aguirre

Editors: For more information about this release, contact Jodi H. Beyeler, director of the campus news bureau, at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu, or Richard R. Aguirre, director of public relations, at (574) 535-7571 (work), (574) 524-5946 (cell) or rraguirre@goshen.edu.

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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college’s Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron’s Best Buys in Education, “Colleges of Distinction,” “Making a Difference College Guide” and U.S.News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” edition, which named Goshen a “least debt college.” Visit www.goshen.edu.